Since Weinstein Is The Shiny New Scandal, I Guess We Ignore O’Reilly Again?

Late this week, everything became all about the utter failures of Harvey Weinstein as a human being. He is nothing short of a predator and sexual deviant and should be excoriated as such.

Weinstein is a major Democrat backer and bundler, and the Right had every reason to point out the many flaws within the Democratic Party that refused to condemn him. But… the Right also seems to be looking away from our own side this week as Bill O’Reilly starts what I think Jake Tapper rightly refers to as his “comeback tour.”

Speaking of inconsistencies, the O'Reilly comeback tour launched on Hannity with no apparent pushback on the Right.

Much like Weinstein, O’Reilly blames political opponents for his downfall, not his own actions. Weinstein blamed the vast right-wing conspiracy, and O’Reilly blamed liberal activists. Their refusal to accept that they did anything wrong is a sign of their incredible arrogance – and the fact that people will stand up for them (or at the very least, not condemn them) is a sign that we live such a hyperpartisan life that we can’t accept that Our Side is capable of wrongdoing.

This isn’t very difficult, either. Bill O’Reilly acted shamelessly when he was a top money-maker at Fox News. An allegedly proto-conservative voice, O’Reilly made millions while believing he was above societal norms regarding the treatment of others. Weinstein is no different. It is not about the fact that they grew up in a different era, or that their intentions were mistaken as predatory. Each man had amassed power and respect among their peers, and they used their power and influence to take advantage in social situations.

Their treatment of women was and is deplorable. The fact that Weinstein is allowed to say “Sorry, and I’m gonna fight the NRA!” and people support that because it is the Left’s cause of the moment is as shameful as Sean Hannity allowing O’Reilly to have any airtime as a means of rehabilitating his image.

And, for those saying what O’Reilly did is not as shameful as what Weinstein did, stop muttering that to your screens, because that is no defense. Weinstein belonged to a culture of people who condoned deviancy across the spectrum. What was seen as a more appropriate use of power in Hollywood is different than the threshholds of abuse at Fox News, which thankfully weren’t as corrupt. However, both Hollywood and Fox News are seemingly okay with the idea that you can treat your “lessers” as you wish because you make the big bucks and weild power.

That is not okay. It should never be okay. And, it should definitely never be okay for us AND them, no matter your political side.